96 GLIMPSES OF INDIAN BIRDS 



its eggs in the ordinary manner. It was known 

 that the nest consists of a mound raised from the 

 ground, and from this it was conjectured that the 

 bird stood up to hatch its .eggs. Writing of the in- 

 convenience of the long shanks of the flamingo, Bishop 

 Stanley said : — 



" A still greater inconvenience would ensue if it 

 were under the necessity of sitting on its nest, like 

 other birds, for it would then be utterly impossible 

 to dispose of its long, stilted, disproportioned legs. 

 Nature has, however, met the difficulty, and taught 

 it how to make a nest exactly suited to its form 

 and length of leg. It is made of mud, in the shape 

 of a hillock, with a cavity on the top where the eggs 

 are laid ; and the height of the hillocks is such that 

 she can sit as comfortably on her nest as a horseman 

 does on his saddle, leaving her legs to hang dangling 

 down at full length on either side." 



In order to impress this peculiarity of the flamingo 

 on the mind of the reader, the worthy Bishop furnishes 

 a picture of an incubating flamingo. A similar belief 

 used to exist regarding herons and other long-legged 

 birds. These were supposed to sit astride the nest, 

 and certain veracious observers stated that they had 

 noticed the legs dangling down. Needless to state, 

 there is no truth in these stories. Every long-shanked 

 bird is able to bend its legs and tuck them up under 

 it when necessary. 



Mr. Abel Chapman has actually observed the 

 flamingo folding its legs under its body when it is 

 about to sit on the nest. 



